[Faith-talk] God lives under the bed
Joshua Lester
jlester8462 at students.pccua.edu
Mon Sep 5 18:32:57 UTC 2011
Thanks for posting this on the list.
Blessings, Joshua
On 9/5/11, Nikki <daizies304 at comcast.net> wrote:
> God lives under The Bed.....
>
>
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> I think this is perhaps one of the BEST email
> 'forwards' I have ever read. I hope you will enjoy it half as much as I
> have!!
>
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> Don't start reading this one until you've got
> more than a minute to just 'scan' over it. It deserves some time for
> reflection.
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> GOD LIVES UNDER THE BED
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> I envy Kevin. My brother, Kevin, thinks God
> lives under his bed. At least that's what I heard him say one night.
>
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> He was praying out loud in his dark bedroom,
> and I stopped to listen, 'Are you there, God?' he said. 'Where are you? Oh,
> I see. Under the bed....'
>
>
>
> I giggled softly and tiptoed off to my own
> room. Kevin's unique perspectives are often a source of amusement. But that
> night something else lingered long after the humor. I realized for the first
> time the very different world Kevin lives in.
>
>
>
> He was born 30 years ago, mentally disabled as
> a result of difficulties during labor. Apart from his size (he's 6-foot-2),
> there are few ways in which he is an adult.
>
>
>
> He reasons and communicates with the
> capabilities of a 7-year-old, and he always will. He will probably always
> believe that God lives under his bed, that Santa Claus is the one who fills
> the space under our tree every Christmas and that airplanes stay up in the
> sky because angels carry them.
>
>
>
> I remember wondering if Kevin realizes he is
> different. Is he ever dissatisfied with his monotonous life?
>
>
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> Up before dawn each day, off to work at a
> workshop for the disabled, home to walk our cocker spaniel, return to eat
> his favorite macaroni-and-cheese for dinner, and later to bed.
>
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> The only variation in the entire scheme is
> laundry, when he hovers excitedly over the washing machine like a mother
> with her newborn child.
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> He does not seem dissatisfied.
>
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> He lopes out to the bus every morning at 7:05,
> eager for a day of simple work.
>
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> He wrings his hands excitedly while the water
> boils on the stove before dinner, and he stays up late twice a week to
> gather our dirty laundry for his next day's laundry chores.
>
>
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> And Saturdays - oh, the bliss of Saturdays!
> That's the day my Dad takes Kevin to the airport to have a soft drink, watch
> the planes land, and speculate loudly on the destination of each passenger
> inside. 'That one's goin' to Chi-car-go! ' Kevin shouts as he claps his
> hands.
>
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> His anticipation is so great he can hardly
> sleep on Friday nights.
>
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> And so goes his world of daily rituals and
> weekend field trips.
>
>
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> He doesn't know what it means to be
> discontent.
>
>
>
> His life is simple.
>
>
>
> He will never know the entanglements of wealth
> or power, and he does not care what brand of clothing he wears or what kind
> of food he eats. His needs have always been met, and he never worries that
> one day they may not be.
>
>
>
> His hands are diligent. Kevin is never so
> happy as when he is working. When he unloads the dishwasher or vacuums the
> carpet, his heart is completely in it.
>
>
>
> He does not shrink from a job when it is
> begun, and he does not leave a job until it is finished. But when his tasks
> are done, Kevin knows how to relax.
>
>
>
> He is not obsessed with his work or the work
> of others. His heart is pure.
>
>
>
> He still believes everyone tells the truth,
> promises must be kept, and when you are wrong, you apologize instead of
> argue.
>
>
>
> Free from pride and unconcerned with
> appearances, Kevin is not afraid to cry when he is hurt, angry or sorry. He
> is always transparent, always sincere. And he trusts God.
>
>
>
> Not confined by intellectual reasoning, when
> he comes to Christ, he comes as a child. Kevin seems to know God - to really
> be friends with Him in a way that is difficult for an 'educated' person to
> grasp. God seems like his closest companion.
>
>
>
> In my moments of doubt and frustrations with
> my Christianity, I envy the security Kevin has in his simple faith.
>
>
>
> It is then that I am most willing to admit
> that he has some divine knowledge that rises above my mortal questions.
>
>
>
> It is then I realize that perhaps he is not
> the one with the handicap. I am. My obligations, my fear, my pride, my
> circumstances - they all become disabilities when I do not trust them to
> God's care.
>
>
>
> Who knows if Kevin comprehends things I can
> never learn? After all, he has spent his whole life in that kind of
> innocence, praying after dark and soaking up the goodness and love of God.
>
>
>
> And one day, when the mysteries of heaven are
> opened, and we are all amazed at how close God really is to our hearts, I'll
> realize that God heard the simple prayers of a boy who believed that God
> lived under his bed.
>
> Kevin won't be surprised at all !
>
>
>
> When you receive this, say a prayer. That's
> all you have to do. There is nothing attached. This is powerful.
>
>
>
> Just send this to four people and do not break
> this, please. Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no
> cost, but a lot of rewards.
>
>
>
> FRIENDS ARE ANGELS WHO LIFT US TO OUR FEET
> WHEN OUR WINGS HAVE TROUBLE REMEMBERING HOW TO FLY
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